2026 Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) of the Year Award: Ken Dieffenbach, CFE

Every year, the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE) bestows the Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) of the Year Award to a CFE who demonstrates outstanding achievement in fraud examination the previous year.

The ACFE is proud to present the 2026 award to Ken Dieffenbach, CFE. 

Dieffenbach is the Executive Director of the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC), the U.S. federal committee that provides data-driven oversight and investigative support related to the more than $5 trillion in pandemic relief spending and programs funded in the July 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Under Dieffenbach’s leadership, PRAC’s predictive risk modeling initiatives resulted in $261.9 million in civil and administrative recoveries in 2025. Meanwhile, fraud prevention alerts uncovered more than $80 billion in potential fraud. In the last year, Dieffenbach also testified before the U.S. House Oversight Committee, advocating for fraud prevention strategies that are predictive and data driven. 

Dieffenbach’s 30-year career as a fraud examiner includes time as an active-duty military Special Agent with the U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations, various roles related to investigations and data analytics at the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Inspector General (OIG), and three years as the Deputy Assistant Inspector General for Investigations at the U.S. Department of Energy OIG.    

Dieffenbach previously served as chair of the ACFE Board of Regents. He is a Fellow with the National Academy of Public Administration,  and he earned an undergraduate degree from the Citadel and a graduate degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Dieffenbach’s work has been recognized with the U.S. Attorney General's Distinguished Service Award, the Council of Inspectors General’s Alexander Hamilton Award, the U.S. Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division's Exceptional Service Award, and the National Grants Management Association's Newton Award for Distinguished Service. 

Ken Dieffenbach embodies the excellence, innovation and integrity that elevates the anti-fraud profession. 

He will be honored at the 37th Annual ACFE Global Fraud Conference, July 12–17, 2026, held in Boston, Massachusetts, and virtually.